Looking after houseplants

Looking after houseplants

I really like having houseplants as it’s a great opportunity to bring the outdoors in and they cheer me up in the winter months when there’s nothing much going on outside. There is lots of science around how being surrounded by greenery can improve our mood and concentration. Houseplants are also fantastic at cleaning the air, research from NASA found that houseplants can remove up to 87% of air toxins in 24 hours!

There is a houseplant for everyone and much like gardening outside, there is a bit of trial and error needed to find which ones suit you and your home best. Here are a few of my top tips for looking after houseplants:

Light

Many people lose houseplants because they think that they all need to be plonked on a windowsill where they will get lots of sunlight. This is NOT the case. There are so many different houseplants and they each have their own requirements of light, the plant label will tell you where it is best to put them. I enjoy moving my plants around the house as much as possible to see where they thrive the most.

Soil

It is best to use an all purpose compost for houseplants, you need something that is light and airy and can hold moisture but without it becoming soggy. Many places have specific houseplant compost you can buy which just means that it will have some perlite or vermiculite in it to aid drainage and good root growth, plus some feed to help it thrive in the pot. Remember, houseplants can’t get food from the ground so they need a helping hand to thrive.

Moisture

One of the other reasons that houseplants die is from overwatering. We often give them too much water because they are in our house, in plain sight and it’s easy to top them up. The easiest way to know if they need more water is by putting a finger into the pot and if the top inch or so is dry then it’s time to give them a little drink.

Clean

I really like this task as it’s a great mindful moment that you can do when you have a spare five or ten minutes. Houseplants thrive better when you clean their leaves regularly of dust. This helps them absorb sunlight better and also manages the amount of pests they may get. Use rainwater if possible (as tap water leaves a white residue on the leaves) and gently wipe each leaf. You can also do this with a paintbrush or cotton bud, it all depends on the size of your plant.